Camel jumping : defying gravity

Dromedary races are a well-known custom of various countries in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia (the single-humped dromedary is also called Arabian camel). But did you know that there were camel jumping competitions? This sport doesn’t involve riding camels and jumping over obstacles, as one would do on horseback: no, it's about jumping over the animals! This discipline is practiced in Yemen, more precisely among the Zaranique tribe at the edge of the Red Sea. The competition starts with a traditional ceremony, where the athletes perform a dance with knives. Then, as in the track & field discipline of the high jump, it is an individual event where the obstacle grows higher and higher until there is only one athlete left.

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